Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A few weeks ago, Nate Berkus conducted a little "color quiz" on his show. It was interesting to me how he did this by asking a few questions to audience participants unrelated to color, and came up with a palette that they should apply in their homes. I love Nate, and of course anything can happen on T.V., but it nudged my memory bank for a quiz I took years ago in school.

Since I shared some color stats with you in my 2nd post, I would like to include this quiz now for you to take....it's just a wee bit of fun and the end results are exactly what Nate did on his show. Are you ready....get a pencil and paper, here you go.

l. Think of a color, any color. It does not have to be your favorite, just the first color that comes to mind.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? (Think specific: Nantucket, Paris, Sante Fe, San Francisco....) Now, visualize that place and name four colors you see there.

3. What was your favorite room in any house you lived in as a child? What color was it?

5. Name one of your most beloved friends, family members or teachers from any time in your life. What color do you associate with that person? (The answer could be based on either a color that person wore often or simply a color that evokes the feelings you had around that person.)

6. Look in your closet and drawers and study your clothes. Do one or two colors predominate?

7. Look around your house and find three favorite objects, anything from a painting to a piece of pottery to a worn flannel shirt. What color are they?

Now look at the colors you've written down. The ones that appear the most often make you feel happiest, safest and most relaxed. That means you'd probably be very happy living with those colors on your walls, furniture or floor. To find the best shades (after all, there are literally thousands of blues, for example), go to a paint store and bring home lots of strips of various shades of your three top colors. Then, leave them in a busy area - say, the dining room table or kitchen counter, someplace you'll see them often. (Do not put them on the wall). Every time you walk by, eliminate one or two strips. At the end of a week, you'll have it narrowed down to two or three. Then match different colors by choosing shades that are all in the same position on the paint strip - the middle blue and middle yellow, for instance.

This is a fun little exercise and will discover what colors suit yourself and your home.

I visited a fun little shop this past weekend and want to continue my "where am I?"
post with you. Take some time out of your busy schedule and busy these places enjoying a "step back in time". (I'm finding I'm from back in time and certainly of the vintage era).

Sunday, November 28, 2010

I love Sunday mornings.....I love Sunday period, I've always thought of this day as "mine" or belonging to and sharing with those that mean the most in my life.
If I post on Sundays I will address something in my life that I am passionate about, keeping Sundays "personal", no shop talk.

I can't help but think about all the children in this world living in poverty, abuse, abduction and sorrow. It makes me sad. One of the passions in my life is my camera and where ever I have traveled, I have taken pictures of children, trying to capture the innocence in their eyes and faces. Some of the children you are about to see I don't even know their names or their "stories" but I think you will appreciate what I've tried to collect.

Burl Ives sings a song about children that I wish you would listen to...you can find it on ITunes. "Think of the children as roses". One verse in particular I love is "if you had a flower that you wanted to bloom, would you keep it from sunlight hid away in some room. Children are flowers, their bloom yet from sun, your love is their water, your wisdom their sun".

I feel better now, just writing what I have and I am going to what ever I can to create some magic in childrens lives, whether it's my own grandchildren when I visit or some child that hasn't been given a chance to bloom.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Oh my goodness I am still FULL. Thanksgiving is wonderful just for the simple fact there are no gifts involved and we gather together just to EAT. (Ok, we gather together to share and make new memories too). I love this time of the year but I find myself hyper-ventilating at all the things I should be doing in preparation for the upcoming holiday. I give myself a little talking to as I know better than to leave everything to the 30 day countdown, but still, year after year I do it anyway. Think about it, I have ALL year to prepare so that I won't feel rushed and do I do it? Nope. Maybe next year I'll give it my undivided attention and efforts.

I've had a great month and have had many new experiences as well as places to visit. I've had the opportunity to work with a wonderful Designer and an even more wonderful person. I'm going to add my little slide show and see if you can guess where I am and whom I am working with in developing new products for 2011.

On March 8, 2011 I will host a hands on workshop with Annie Sloan, author of Creating the French Look and Quick and Easy Paint Transformations, at this location.
For more information click on "Products I Use" which takes you to my web site and workshop/event schedule.

Just a little COLOR information I'd like to share.....blogging has to be somewhat of a learning tool don't you think?

Customize a photo collage

One of my many passions is "color". In school they nicknamed me the "color queen" because I have been given the gift of seeing color when I walk into a room. Color has always come easy for me even as a young girl, I knew what color should be used at any given time and in any given room and with any combination of flooring, wood work etc.

I think a lot of people don't trust their intuition about color. The worse thing that's going to happen if you used the wrong color is that you get another can of paint and paint over it." Color isn't terminal.

Did you know that RED creates moods of happiness, energy, strength and romance. A red wall particularly with brown-red tones, can make a room warm and inviting. Red has been shown to stimulate appetite and therefore is both popular and unpopular in dining areas. Red's cousin pink is good to use in the master bedroom since it promotes romance.

BLUE creates moods of peace, security, relaxation and harmony. Blue walls are wonderful in bedrooms, meditation rooms and anyplace you want to promote relaxation and sleep. Go with a smoky or deep blue for "quiet" rooms to promote rest. A hint here though, blues can be cold and depressing if overused or if the shade is too bright.

GREEN creates moods of calm, tranquility, hope and rejuvenation. Green can be used in any room to invite serenity, but is good for entryways in lighter and brighter shades because it has an energy-regenerating quality. Green plants are an affordable, easy way to add green to a room and can go anywhere.

YELLOW creates moods of optimism, cheerfulness and tolerance. Yellow is especially good for illuminating background for black and white photographs. Yellow can be a difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused.

PURPLE creates moods of mystery, spirituality and healing. A good way to used purple is through flowers and plants - irises, orchids and violets. Purple carries depth when paired with items that have texture, such a furniture, pillows and place mats. Purple's combination of hot and cold tones makes it accessible and can be used with most other color schedmes. Too much purple can come off as artificial.

BROWN creates moods of earthiness, nurturing and stability. In the living room, brown will reflect warmth and refinement and can be used in the furniture, in baskets and wooden magazine racks. Brown is a good base color because its earth tones help all the colors around it come alive.

ORANGE creates moods of energy, enthusiasm and warmth. Orange is great for dining and family rooms because it encourages joyful gatherings and good cheers. Set a bowlful of oranges in a dining area or use and orange table cloth. Pair orange with browns, creams and gold for traditional rooms or cobalt blue and lime green for a contemporary feel.

My last hint......using the same shade at a value or two lighter as the walls on the ceiling adds a softness to a room. You will be amazed at the impact on the room. And remember, light affects color dramatically, flourescent light brings out greens and blues in a color. Incandescent light brings out more of the red or warmth in a color. View colors day and night because they will appear differently.

I hope this will help someone out there that is afraid of color. One of my missions in life is to get rid of all WHITE walls. Don't get me wrong, I love white and I love black but not on walls. TONE, TONE, TONE.......I shall say no more.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Ok, ready or not I'm jumping into this "blog thing" with both feet. I don't know why I have made it harder than it really is, I actually enjoy writing, maybe I have a lot to write about and I just don't know where to begin. At the beginning makes sense, so let's begin.

I want this little slide show to be near the top of my post

Create your own free digital slideshow

because when I enter a new post I will have a new "where am i".Every week I try to visit one new place of business, antiques, flea markets, design, 2nd hand, consignment, it doesn't matter, I just love these little adventures and yes, in my line of work, it is an added perk.I'd like to think that soon I too will have a blog following and that at the places I visit I'll leave something special, sort of like an on going treasure hunt and maybe if all these little somethings are collected there will be a prize.....waaahoooooo, let's do it.

I don't know how much I'm suppose to say on my first post. I could share my life experiences, family, causes I believe in and some that I don't believe in. I could tell you that one of my passions are words, yes words, how they feel on my lips as I say them aloud like, "blue....eclectic....believe .....champagne.....magic....impetuous.... believe..... curiosity.... go..... and giggle." These words also describe me as a person.

I'm privileged to be in my golden years yet I'm still just a little bit silver and tarnished. I remember the 50's and came into my own in the 60's, I still want to be that flower child. (I am on the inside I just don't fit the profile on the outside, but I keep trying.) I'm actually still coming into my own, that will never stop!

I love creating and making things into something off the wall. I love walls too and have spent the past 20 years working in design, specializing in color and decorative painting. Today I am the U.S.A. West Coast "stockist" for Annie Sloan's decorative Chalk Paint and Products and I'm having the time of my life introducing this new line to furniture finishers and the average consumers that want to do their own paint transformations. (Take a look at Annie Sloan's web site, she is known as one of the worlds most respected experts in the field of decorative painting.) I give workshops, I give demo's and I get to meet new and exciting people up and down the coast. I'll be sharing these products, workshop dates and places in future posts.

I have many interests, many passions and the one thing I have to caution myself to do is to SLOW IT DOWN and enjoy where I am now. BE HERE NOW. I am an Edith Bunker, an Auntie Mame and a Murphy Brown all rolled into one. I'm also a proud wife, mother and grandmother of beautiful human beings. You'll meet them all at different times, they all make me proud and my life worthwhile.

See, now I have started and can't quit....but before I sign off for tonight I want to leave you with a question.

Followers

About me, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....I am a "whirl wind", which begins with my Gemini gender. I am impromptu but organized....I am impetuous but a planner. I love beautiful clothes but you'll find me covered in paint. I need to learn continually and play games with words. What does that mean....I like to see how words feel on my lips when I say them out loud. Strange I know.
I have been in design, faux finishing and PAINT for years and I imagine that'll never stop. I have a wonderful husband, three grown children, 11 grandchildren, three step sons and three step grandchildren.
Follow my blog and you'll learn all you really want to know. I am a Murphy Brown and Auntie Mame....just ask my friends.